JA: I work in retail so I was extremely busy when I signed up (Thanksgiving) so I was training 3 to 4x’s/week at Crossfit and rucked once prior to the event.

SGPT: Tell us a little about the event?

JA: The GORUCK Challenege is a team event that has a promised minimum of 18miles and 10-12 hours of “good livin'”. If you don’t operate as a team, you pay for it. Lots of time hacks, lots of PT, lots of rucking, lots of running, etc. The biggest thing is they smoke you physically in the first several hours to the point of complete exhaustion.Then the challenge actually begins.

SGPT: What was hardest part of the event?

JA: That’s a hard one because there were a lot of VERY hard times within it, but I’d have to say 7 or 8 hours into the challenge(you have no sense of time other than sunlight) we rested for about 10 min and then were told to pick up “coupons”.”Coupons” are large heavy objects. There was a (estimated) 600lb telephone pole, and (estimated) 300lb rail road tie that the 7 out of the 10 of us had to carry 6 miles into Atlanta.

SGPT: What is one thing you wish you would have done to get ready for GoRuck?

JA: Anyone can do this, and I mean anyone. If you’re considering it just sign up, that’s the hardest part. You’ll realize your body will go a heck of a lot further than your mind will. Train hard because there is a difference between surviving the challenge excelling in the challenge.

SGPT: Many thanks for the interview

JA: Thank you!

About GORUCK:
go·ruck [verb go + verb ruck] noun ruck is short for rucksack (aka backpack), it’s also a verb: to ruck is to move with a rucksack, and implies action, energy, and purpose. We build the best gear right here in the USA, GORUCK leads team-building endurance events based on our experiences in Special Forces, and we love to ruck.